"As generators of electricity, waste-to-energy plants nationwide cost five times as much as solar generation, and 50 times more than natural gas"

As a way to keep garbage out of landfills, the plants are outshone by programs that do the same thing at no cost to taxpayers.Supporters of the Minnesota plants say state law requires them to keep the programs running regardless of the cost.But nationwide, waste-to-energy plants are in trouble. Officials have been shutting them down even as wind and solar programs multiply.The plants are even losing their "green" credentials. The Sierra Club and dozens of other environmental groups now say that landfills are better than waste-to-energy incinerators.All of which is making some skeptics wonder: Why are we doing this?